Many Men (Wish Death) Explained

Many Men (Wish Death)
Cover:50 Cent- Many Men.jpg
Type:promo
Artist:50 Cent
Album:Get Rich or Die Tryin'
Released:May 6, 2003
A-Side:"21 Questions"
Recorded:2002
Genre:Gangsta rap
Length:4:16
Label:

"Many Men (Wish Death)" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent from his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003). The song was produced by Darrell "Digga" Branch, and Luis Resto.[1] Despite the song charting and having a music video, it was only released as a promotional single.

Music video

The video was directed by Jessy Tererro and produced by Jill Hardin and Darrell "Digga" Branch.[2] The song's music video is about 50 Cent's shooting from May 24, 2000, when he was shot nine times in Queens, New York. Mekhi Phifer appears in the video as 50's hitman. Adam Rodriguez and Rory Cochrane, both stars of at the time of production, appear as detectives. Gabriel Casseus appears as a person who is allied with the person that shoots 50 Cent. Tommy Lister appears as one of 50 Cent's associates. G-Unit members Lloyd Banks and Young Buck make cameo appearances.[3]

The music video on YouTube has received over 500 million views as of March 2024.[4]

Commercial performance

The song peaked at number 11 on the US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles in 2003.[5] On June 14, 2006, "Many Men" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for selling 500,000 copies in the United States of America.[6] On January 19, 2023, it was certified three times platinum by the RIAA, indicating 3 million copies sold.[7] While the song was a commercial success, 50 Cent commented in an interview years later the song was his least favorite in Get Rich or Die Tryin, largely in part to it being the slowest song of the album.

Legacy

American rapper Pop Smoke interpolated the song on his 2020 track, "Got It on Me",[8] and producer Metro Boomin sampled the song on his and 21 Savage's 2020 track "Many Men".[9]

Vietnamese-American writer Ocean Vuong repeatedly references the song in his novel On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous. As Vuong explained in an interview, "50 Cent's song was ubiquitous in the early aughts, where so much of this book takes place. It also marked the last era of gangsta rap, whose cultural framework provided men and boys a means of performing masculinity while also reducing it to erroneous tropes of misogyny and violence."[10]

Following the 2024 attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the track resurged in popularity, placing in the top 10 on the US iTunes sales chart,[11] and rising in sales by 250% on other streaming platforms.[12] 50 Cent responded to the rise popularity by posting on social media "Trump gets shot and now I'm trending ‍♂️", alongside an edited version of the album cover for Get Rich or Die Tryin with Trump's face placed over his own.[13] 50 Cent further performed "Many Men" with the edited cover photo the night of the attempted assassination during a concert in Boston.[14] The edited album cover consequently made the song more popular, spreading on the internet through memes, including an AI cover of "Many Men" performed by Trump.[15]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Birchmeier . Jason . Get Rich or Die Tryin' - 50 Cent . . June 18, 2014.
  2. Web site: 50 Cent - Many Men (Wish Death) . . March 19, 2015.
  3. Web site: 50 Cent: Many Men (Wish Death) (2003 Music Video): Full Cast & Crew . . August 1, 2024.
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D3crqpClPY 50 Cent - Many Men (Official Video)
  5. Web site: 50 cent Top Songs . March 19, 2015 . musicvf.com.
  6. Web site: American single certifications – 50 Cent . . June 18, 2014.
  7. Web site: Gold & Platinum . Recording Industry Association of America.
  8. Pop Smoke's Endless Summer Continues on 'Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon' . . Schwartz . Danny . July 6, 2020 . February 23, 2021.
  9. Web site: 21 Savage & Metro Boomin Sample A 50 Cent Classic On "Many Men" . 2021-04-03 . Genius.
  10. Web site: Quong . Spencer . Survival as a Creative Force: An Interview with Ocean Vuong . The Paris Review . 5 June 2019.
  11. 1812878691724398865 . Rap . 50 Cent's "Many Men (Wish Death)" entered the US iTunes top 10 following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. . RapTV . July 15, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  12. Denis . Kyle . Lipshutz . Jason . Robinson . Kristin . Unterberger . Andrew . 50 Cent's 'Many Men' Up 250% in Streams Following Donald Trump Assassination Attempt . . July 17, 2024 . August 1, 2024.
  13. Iasimone . Ashley . 50 Cent Posts Get Rich or Die Tryin Album Cover With Trump's Face Following Shooting at the Former President's Rally . . July 13, 2024 . August 1, 2024.
  14. Web site: Whitman . Sara . 50 Cent puts Donald Trump's face on album cover while performing 'Many Men' after assassination attempt . . July 14, 2024 . August 1, 2024.
  15. News: Ardrey . Taylor . Internet explodes with 50 Cent 'Many Men (Wish Death)' memes following Donald Trump attack . . July 15, 2024 . July 15, 2024.
  16. [{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=50 Cent|chart=Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs}} 50 Cent – Chart History: Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ]. . . March 15, 2016.